Volume
10, Number 9 - September 2009
IN THIS ISSUE:
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About Food Consulting Company
" Everything was perfect, and your
group is a dream to work with."
– Joe Petrella
Famiglia-DeBartolo Famous Famiglia Pizza
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Dear Readers, Fortify your
knowledge of label claims use; read
Food
Label Claims – Helpful Series Launched.
Read Food Label News each month to stay
connected to
Food Consulting Company, your best source for food labeling help. |
Q. I have a new product and need help with
food labels. Do I need to send a sample of my
product to you? What information will you need
from me?
A.J., Start-up Food Company, CA
A. For
most products Food
Consulting Company uses database analysis of a
product's recipe formulation so a sample is not
needed. When properly performed, database analysis is an excellent
predictor of a product's nutritional content and
a lower cost alternative to laboratory analysis.
Read
more.
Submit a question
for Reader Q&A (no charge). |
Food Labels Claims – Helpful Series Launched
With this issue, Food Label News is
launching a ten-part instructional series on
regulatory guidance for using food label claims.
Information offered in the series is intended to
help interested persons understand the complexities of
label claims regulations and how to best use the
various types of allowed claims. Readers can
access print-ready pages each month; the pages
will add up to a booklet that begins with a table
of contents and list of table references.
The series is
based on a 2009 publication titled "Silliker
Nutrient and Health Claims U.S. Regulatory
Guide" that was cooperatively developed by Food
Consulting Company and Silliker, Inc. Food
Consulting Company provided the technical
content for the guide which is used by both
companies for informational purposes with
clients. Silliker provides laboratory nutrition
analysis for Food Consulting Company clients
when analytical data is needed or desired.
Print Series
Part 1
which includes the front cover, table of
contents and list of table references.
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FDA Commissioner Promises Enforcement
Margaret Hamburg, M.D., Commissioner of FDA,
recently announced her commitment to prevent
harm to the American people through swift,
aggressive and effective enforcement of FDA laws
and regulations. An August 6, 2009, press
release from FDA outlines steps designed to
ensure violative inspection results are taken
seriously, that warning letters and enforcement
actions occur in a timely manner and that steps
are taken to protect consumers in cases where
immediate enforcement action is not possible.
Warning letters are issued by FDA for food
labeling violations. FDA warning letters are
posted on the Agency's web site; periodic review
of the letters pertaining to food labeling
violations can be instructive and helpful to
food labelers.
Read
press release
Access
warning letters
Commentary: If you are seeking assurance
about the accuracy and compliance of your food
labels, request a
Label Compliance Review.
Food Consulting Company will examine your food
labels to assure that they are in full
compliance with FDA and FTC regulations. You
will receive a report with instructions for any
necessary changes.
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Restaurants Speak Out on Menu Labeling
In late July a
group of 21 restaurant chains sent a letter to
Congress stating their support for the federal
effort to require calorie labeling, but urging
the policymakers to set a minimum financial
standard for mandatory compliance instead of the
"chains with 20 or more locations" standard that
is being considered by Congress now. According
to the group, the 20 location standard would
apply to fewer than 25 percent of the nation's
restaurants. Group members recommend setting a
minimum financial standard for inclusion such as
$1 million in annual sales and/or applying the
requirements to all chains with three or more
locations, excluding small businesses for whom
labeling might be a hardship.
Food Label News
learned of the letter to Congress via several
Internet news sites. Food Label News
communicated with three sites to obtain a link
to the letter and none could provide this.
Fast Casual
posts a press release that includes a list of
companies behind the request to Congress.
Commentary:
There is a precedent for using annual sales as a
criteria for a nutrition labeling exemption; for
packaged foods the Nutrition Labeling and
Education Act exempts retailers whose annual
sales are $500,000 or less from the requirements
for nutrition labeling (see previous
Reader Q&A).
Food Consulting
Company encourages restaurants of all sizes to
voluntarily initiate calorie/nutrition labeling.
Food Consulting Company provides nutritional
analysis for menu items and nutrition/allergen
guides for restaurants.
Contact us for
more information.
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At Your Service: Introducing
Foodzie, an
online marketplace/community dedicated to
helping small passionate food producers find
customers and grow their business. Foodzie.com
makes it easy for food artisans to sell their
products directly to consumers, and for foodies
to learn about and share the products they love.
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contact us.
Copyright 2009, Food Consulting Company.
www.foodlabels.com.
All rights reserved.
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